Hidden
by Ohohen
Summary: -NejiTen- If one says they are and the other says they aren't, then how do you decide if they really are or not? Well, it doesn't look like it's true, so it's probably false.
1. Small Talk

**Hey! What's up kids? ;D How have you been?! I've been great thanks!**

…

**Now, anyway. I don't think I'll be updating my stories anytime soon, so that list is going to get cut off…someday. I may have to go through the pain of reading them all again to decide which to remove and which not to. ):**

**Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**Well, I've been meaning to work on this for quite a while now, so…mm…yeah.**

**Hidden  
**Chapter One: Small Talk

"Yup! I guess I can't lie to you guys, hee…"

"No, actually. If you really want to know that badly."

There were two different answers given to two different groups of people. It wasn't a very big deal, just a short conversation on the matter. Some of them cared a bit more than others, and some didn't really care at all. For different reasons of course. But they all expected an answer, nonetheless. The answer didn't really come easy for some, though. But they were given an answer, nonetheless. For some people, even if an answer wasn't given, it was received, nevertheless.

Though, perhaps this has begun a bit too late. But honestly, it was only a topic that had just so happened to be brought up.

"Speaking of men, I've heard a very small rumor going around." There was a slight smile that accompanied Yamanaka Ino as she spoke.

"Hm…As expected, Ino." Haruno Sakura winked at her good friend. "What'd you hear this time?"

"Nothing big, actually. Not very interesting, and barely enough people speak of it."

"Well…" Hyuuga Hinata stretched, not knowing that she had been so stiff from sitting, even in such a comfortable position. "I-It must be something if you mentioned it." She smiled nervously, running a finger down her cheek slowly, and repeating the motion. For some…odd reason, she was curious to see what Ino had in store for them. She decided to not wonder upon why she was curious, but more of the matter at hand.

Ino let out something that sounded like a whiny exasperated sigh. "Well, just out of curiosity…" Her bright blue eyes rolled over to the attention of Tenten, who sat one seat away from her. Tenten took note of the sudden focus with a slight shock, and held her breath a bit. The glance from the sharp blue eyes made her wonder, was there anything that she hadn't shared with her friends? None that she remembered…nothing of much significance or importance has happened that was worth mentioning.

Was she missing something?

"E-Eh…What is it, that came out of your curiosity?"

"Hehe…" That didn't sound chipper at all.

Tenten didn't understand why there was a bead of sweat that rolled down the side of her face.

--_Somewhere else, at another time…_

"Hm…this drink is pretty light." Nara Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at his drink that he held. "More water then flavor, it seems."

Rock Lee took a sip from his own cup. "Mm…it is very diluted."

"It's what you two ordered. You told the server you didn't enjoy drinks that were too sour, so you really shouldn't be complaining." Inuzuka Kiba set down his drink on the wooden table.

"Besides, if you didn't want a sour drink, then you should have ordered something else!" Uzumaki Naruto frowned, annoyed as he lifted his drink to take a sip.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru scratched his arm. "What about your drink, Chouji?" He turned his attention to his friend beside him. "You've had three cups already."

"Very sweet and delectable to taste." Akimichi Chouji turned to call out to the server for another.

"Sweet huh?" Naruto made a face. "Maybe I should have ordered that instead..."

"You took the longest to order, dobe." Uchiha Sasuke glared at Naruto, who sat beside him.

"Well, at least I actually ordered something different from all those times we've been here before!" He retorted, slamming his drink down.

Kiba interrupted the rising quarrel that seemed to be in the making. "Honestly, I think we should be enjoying this time that we have, considering the fact that as shinobi, it's rare that we all are able to sit down and have a break like this. All at the same time, that is."

"Hm…speaking of that…" Shikamaru turned his attention to Hyuuga Neji, who absentmindedly held his drink and was (most likely) staring into space at a tree or some inanimate object that was not relevant to the subject at hand.

"…By the way, Neji."

Neji turned his head slowly towards Shikamaru, and dipped his head in question. "…Hm?" Neji didn't think that whatever Shikamaru asked or told him would be important, so his response was a bit listless.

Then again, with someone like Shikamaru, and someone who speaks like him, you wouldn't expect much, really.

…Well, you can't really explain how they took it…but…

* * *

"I heard you were going out with Neji, is that right?"

"Heard some people around the village say you were…going out, with Tenten."

Tenten's face reddened slightly as she dipped her head in embarrassment. "Ah…heh…" What was she supposed to say in a situation like this?

"Hmm…!" Sakura beamed as she set a hand on Tenten's shoulder. "Well, if you're not going to tell us a straight answer, I think we could all consider you reaction as a _yes_."

"A-Ah…I've heard of this too, but it doesn't seem to have been confirmed yet." Hinata smiled at Tenten. "Is it true, though?"

"What?!" Ino gaped at Hinata. "You live with the him, but you don't even know?!"

"You m-must understand…" Hinata smiled nervously. "…It's hard to tell, I'm sure you know."

"Well, yeah." Ino took a moment to think about Neji, or Hinata's _expressive _cousin. "You're right." Ino retreated, and then reverted her attention to Tenten.

Tenten held her hands to her face to try and soothe out her blushing cheeks (Which seemed surprisingly productive) and sighed.

She sighed. "Oh goodness…"

--_Somewhere else, at another time..._

Neji's eyes narrowed. "What was that?" there was some sort of threat in the tone of his voice.

"Hm…I've actually heard about this." Sasuke glanced at Neji, who was sitting beside him. "It does seem mildly interesting, now that I think of it." The only response Sasuke got was a glare.

Naruto, on the other hand, almost spit out his drink. Shikamaru was gratified that he didn't. "Huh?! Tenten?" Naruto's eyes widened at Neji as he turned to him. "Well, are you?!"

Neji ignored the latter, and turned his attention to Shikamaru. "Since when did you start talking so much?" He crossed his arms. "Why would you be so interested in my _personal_ business?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Neji.

"Hey, don't make this troublesome." Shikamaru snapped. It was only a simple question, but clearly he shouldn't have asked.

Chouji nodded in agreement. "Mm…Stop making him sound bisexual too."

Sasuke smirked at this as Kiba, Naruto, and Lee snickered. Shikamaru glared at Chouji. "Your assistance was not very beneficent." he said flatly.

Kiba faced Neji again. "Hahaha…so, does that mean you are? Going out with her, I mean."

"Hmpf…"

And then of course…

"Yup! I guess I can't lie to you guys, hee…"

"No, actually. If you really want to know that badly."

--_Somewhere else, at the other time..._

"That's great Tenten! You guys fit together perfectly!" Sakura exclaimed happily.

"M-Mm!"

"Well, that proves I was right." Ino crossed her arms, beaming.

Tenten looked at Ino nervously. "Er…You're not going to go around with a loudspeaker and tell everyone, right?"

Ino winced at her. "What? Eh, I wasn't really planning on it. Konoha doesn't really care."

"O-Oh…perhaps so." Hinata pondered on this.

"So, when did you two start going out?" Sakura asked, eager to know.

"Really I'm not sure. Can't remember when we started…'Going out'." Tenten wondered, trying to remember.

"Well…" Ino nudged Tenten from beneath the table. "Have you done anything yet?"

"Any contact at all?" Sakura added on excitedly.

Tenten blushed and giggled nervously. "I can't really say."

"Mm!" Sakura pouted. "Tenten you're no fun."

She frowned. "I didn't think I looked like a romance novel."

"Ah, a-anyway…" Hinata intervened. "Has anyone met…um…"

"Ah, are you talking about Ishikawa Masayuki-san?" Tenten asked.

Hinata nodded. "M-Mm! People talk about him a lot, saying he jumped from genin to jounin and such."

"They said he's good looking too." Ino shrugged. "Never actually seen him though."

"He just arrived in Konoha two weeks ago. He's been doing business with Tsunade-sama since. You know, issues with being a shinobi of the village and such." Sakura gestured towards the waitress to ask for a drink.

"No surprise there." Ino said in response. "Though, he's an official Konoha shinobi now, so all that's over."

Tenten held her chin. "Ishikawa Masayuki-san…Actually I had to run into him the other day."

They all turned their attention to Tenten again.

"W-What?" Hinata had heard some very interesting things about this man's strength.

"Did you make friends with him?" Ino asked.

"What?! I haven't even seen him before, and I'm with Tsunade-sama a lot."

Tenten laughed nervously at the attention again. "Well, it was nothing really. He was running past in the training grounds and he dropped his water bottle on me."

Sakura laughed. "Oh, wow."

Tenten giggled. "I know. He apologized though. Seemed pretty decent. Nothing special, if you ask me. His water bottle spilled my tea, so he offered to buy me another."

"He seems like a…g-gentlemen."

"From the looks of it. He got me another cup of tea and introduced himself. We had a small chat afterwards. You could consider us in between the line of an acquaintance and a friend."

"Huh…Well, it's nice to know that he seems to be a polite person." Ino smiled.

Tenten shrugged. "You'd expect as much. He's over three years older then us."

Tenten felt a hand on her shoulder. "Uh, Tenten-chan!"

Tenten turned and looked directly up. Her expression brightened. "Ishikawa-san!"

He winked. "Masayuki-san, you mean." Masayuki stepped to one side of Tenten, beaming. "Tenten-chan, how are you?"

"Great! Yourself?"

"Wonderful." He turned his attention to the other people who were sitting at the table. He smiled. "Ah, you must be Tenten-chan's friends."

Hinata smiled and nodded her head. "H-Hyuuga Hinata. You must be Ishikawa Masayuki-san!"

"Indeed. It is an honor to meet a Hyuuga such as yourself." Hearing this, Hinata smiled with the pride of her family. It was good to know that her family was known for it's greatness and such.

"Yamanaka Ino. I've heard many things about you."

He nodded. "Yamanaka-san." Masayuki laughed, embarrassed. "Ah, well. I hope they were mostly positive."

"I don't think you've done much of anything to be considered negative yet, Ishikawa-san."

"Oh, you must be the great Haruno Sakura!" he exclaimed. "Tsunade-sama often mentions you. It's nice to see you in person, finally."

"As yourself, Ishikawa-san." Sakura pouted a bit. "Gee, I hope Tsunade-sama didn't say anything bad about me."

"Oh trust me." he winked. "She didn't."

Sakura blushed, smiling. "Well, that's a relief."

"Hmm! Well, it was a pleasure to meet you all, but I'm afraid I was sent to call forth Tenten-chan. There is a mission for you to carry out." He told her.

"Ah, oh. Um, okay." Tenten laid some money on the table as Masayuki bid good bye and waved at Hinata, Ino, and Sakura, who waved back.

"Tenten-_chan_, huh?" Ino smirked.

Sakura elbowed Tenten after Masayuki was out of sight. "So much for _between an acquaintance and a friend_, huh?"

Tenten frowned. "Hey!"

"T-Tenten…" Hinata giggled. "Perhaps you should get going. We'll spend time together next time!"

She sighed as she stood up. "Yeah, until next time." She raised her arms in a stretch. "Really sucks that I'm the first to go on a mission though."

Sakura and Ino stuck their tongues out at her as Hinata smiled.

--_Later_

"As a jounin, you've been a Team Leader in missions, right?" Tsunade golden eyes scanned the papers that she held in her hands. "Three times, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, I want you to be Team Leader again for this upcoming mission. You'll leave immediately, as it's not too much of a treacherous mission, though it is an impulse." she said.

"Yes, of course."

"Now…"

**Ohohen: -Sigh- You know, I'm four months behind on Naruto episodes? I've just been so busy (And found other more interesting series to watch. -Guilty-) that I haven't been able to keep up. So, if any mistakes are made whatsoever, really, you can't blame me.**

**So yeah, instead of watching Naruto like I should be, I've been reading **_**Good Morning Call**_**. Finished, and now waiting for **_**Good Morning Kiss**_**. I've also been surfing for **_**Dynasty Warriors**_**, **_**Samurai Warriors**_**, and **_**Warriors Orochi **_**pictures. :D I'm a big fan of the series. Though, I've never played **_**Samurai Warriors**_** before, so ****I don't know much about the characters. **_**Warriors Orochi **_**was my first introduction to them, besides cruising for clips and cut scenes on YouTube. Haha…**

**Mitsunari Ishida is love. :0 It's funny how everyone abuses and spams his R1. xD It's weird how fans pair him with Sakon Shima. I don't really support. Mitsunari looks fine by himself…It might be from **_**Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends**_** or something, I dunno. I don't think I'll be playing the **_**Samurai Warriors **_**series anytime soon, besides **_**Warriors Orochi**_**.**

**It saddens me that I can't find much of any Yukimura and Kunoichi pictures. D; **

**WOW. DID I JUST RANT ON ABOUT VIDEO GAMES? ROFL. Sorry, it's been my latest obsession lately.**

**-Sigh- Can't wait for **_**Warriors Orochi 2. **_**I'm not going to spoil myself watching **_**Musou Orochi Maou Sairin **_**videos on YouTube like I did with **_**Warriors Orochi**_**. ROFL. Totally spoiled the fun of it.**

**Oops. Sorry. XD**

**This story is probably going to be a threeshot. I've got the majority of it planned out, so you should be expecting updates soon. I don't make promises I can't keep though, so I can't promise you.**

**I really didn't like the dialogue, details, and narration in this chapter, but I'm much too lazy to fix. D:**

**Hm…School is starting soon. Hope all you passed your tests. :D**

**I hope this will be the last of the ridiculously long Author's Notes. D; I'm very sorry. I should stop ranting…**

**...So uh...anyone have any good NejiTen stories to reccomend to me? :D**


	2. Hugs and Kisses

****

_BOO HOO. _Only _one_ review! D:

**DISCLAIMER****: ****Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**-Sigh- Ah, well. Onto the next chapter. **

**Special thanks to **_**Merciless Ruby **_**The only review I got. D; **

**But then again, the first chapter can't be expected to be that interesting when it comes to my first chapters, so I guess it's nothing I should lament about.**

**Hidden  
**Chapter Two: Hugs and Kisses

Tenten was told that she would meet up with her team near the gates of Konoha, but she decided to wander around the village a bit more when she didn't see anyone there besides those who were supposed to be there. Despite the mission being an impulse, she didn't enjoy the idea of waiting and being unproductive, anyway. Though, a mission was still a mission, and it being an impulse didn't let Tenten wander away too far from the gates. She decided that she'd just stroll around the area of the gates, keeping the gates in distance. While she was strolling, she decided to go back to where she was previously with her friends, wondering if they were still there. She didn't think they were, though. It had been quite a while since she had left, and she didn't think they had _that_ much time on their hands. But it didn't hurt to check.

But when she arrived, they were still there, but leaving.

'Oh! They're still there!' she thought. "Hey!" Tenten called out to them, hurrying over to their side. Perhaps her mission teammates could spare her a couple minutes if they had already arrived.

"Tenten?!" Ino took notice first, turning around. Her eyebrows raised as Tenten ran over to them.

"Tenten! I thought Tsunade-sama said you had a mission?" Sakura turned to meet her with a incredulous expression.

She chuckled brightly. Thinking back on the mission, she made sure to make her time with her friends short. "Yeah, but the rest of the members aren't there yet, so I decided to walk around a bit." She beamed. "And then I ran into you guys again!"

"Oh…W-Well, what was the mission?" Hinata asked. "You wouldn't want to be late for a mission."

"Well, Tsunade-sama said that the mission was on im-" Tenten began to speak before Ino interrupted her.

"Tenten! Look it's Neji-san!" Ino exclaimed excitedly, pointing in the direction where the said person was walking a distance away from them. They all feasted their eyes on him, watching him walk with a brown paper bag. He must have heard his name, as he stopped walking and turned his head to where he heard his name called, that is, straight at the group of girls.

Tenten stared at him for a moment, before doing a little wave with a smile.

And what did Neji do?

He glared, looked away, and kept walking.

Tenten retreated her hand and wondered out loud, "I wonder what he was buying…?"

Hinata thought for a moment. "I-I think he was buying the Dafuku that father and him often like to eat when they train."

"Ooh…Dafuku. I haven't had those in a while!" Tenten smile glowed.

"A-Ah, we should go get some next time!" Hinata suggested with a nod.

Meanwhile Ino was gaping with her eyes wide, while Sakura simply frowned.

"T-Tenten!"

Tenten turned her attention at Ino with a raised eyebrow. She was startled at the sudden burst of unsure energy in her tone. She began to wonder why Ino had the ability to make her anxious so much. "U-Uh…what?"

"You say you two are going out, but he doesn't even wave at you?" Sakura asked, frowning with uncertainty. She was beginning to become a bit…skeptical.

"Er…yeah. Did you expect him to wave back at me or something?" she asked, blinking with disbelief.

"At least a nod or something." Sakura shrugged. "I guess you can't really consider Neji-san to be the extremely outgoing type." Sakura tapped her chin as she continued. "And his hands did seem kind of full.

"Unlike his head." Ino grumbled. She sighed. "Well, Tenten I think you should go on with your mission. You said it was an…" Ino paused, trying to think back on what Tenten had said previously when explaining the mission. "…impulse, right?"

Tenten laughed nervously. "I was about to say that it was, but yeah."

"Oh, then you should hurry, Tenten!"

"Mm! I guess you're right." Tenten waved goodbye to her friends as she hurried back to the gate.

"…I honestly would have still expected a nod from Neji-san." Ino stated as they watched Tenten disappear into the distance.

"Yeah, same here."

Hinata only smiled oddly at them.

* * *

"Uh…so you're…"

"…Ono Nagahide."

"Matsudaira Yoshiaki."

"I'm Wu Xing!"

The girl who went up to Tenten's shoulder smiled like sunshine was Wu Xing. Tenten smiled nervously. "You must be Tenten-san!"

"Y-Yeah."

"You're our team leader?" Ono Nagahide crossed his arms and stared down at Tenten. Tenten didn't really like the idea of being to team leader of someone who was taller then herself. She had a feeling that she…was most definitely _not_ going to like this Ono Nagahide very much, from the looks of it. With his dark hair, dark eyes, and prideful composure. He reminded herself of Neji and perhaps even Sasuke, but _worse_. Even so, she really didn't like being looked down upon. She walked up to Nagahide and frowned at him, tilting her head up.

"Yes. I am."

"Nagahide…" Matsudaira Yoshiaki chuckled lightly. "Sorry, Team Leader, but apparently he doesn't like the fact that he's a jounin, but he has to follow another jounin." Yoshiaki pat Nagahide on the shoulder.

"Yeah, but he just became a jounin one month ago!" Wu Xing exclaimed, flailing her arms. "Just like how I became a chuunin a month ago!" she smiled proudly.

"Yes, we all know it was a very impressive feat, Xing-chan. But either myself nor Nagahide were surprised, you were far above their league. After all, you passed each round easily without a scratch." Yoshiaki smiled, patting her head.

Nagahide turned his attention back at Tenten again. "Aren't you supposed to tell us to stop talking and continue on with the mission?" he said, sounding disappointed.

"Actually, I thought that you seemed smart enough to tell them yourself, _Ono-san_." She glared, turning her back on him. "Well, we should get going. We can keep talking on the way." she smiled at Yoshiaki and Wu Xing. "You two sound like pretty nice people to talk to."

"I want to be Tenten-san's friend!" Wu Xing walked next to Tenten, her bright smile never leaving her face.

Tenten giggled. "Well, you can start by calling me Tenten."

* * *

"Yoshiaki-san, you're a jounin right?"

"Yeah." He paused. "Just Yoshiaki, please."

"Not just a jounin, a _special_ jounin!" Wu Xing added, emphasizing the _special_ part.

Yoshiaki grumbled teasingly. "Xing-chan, you make me sound stupid!"

"Maybe that's because you are." Nagahide remarked.

Wu Xing grumbled, pouting. "Nagahide-kun, why are you so mean?"

Yoshiaki smirked. "Yeah, _Nagahide-kun_."

"Hmpf."

"Does he even have a reason to be such a smartass?" Tenten asked lowly, hoping Nagahide wouldn't hear. Yoshiaki smirked. "He just likes to be stronger then other people. He doesn't like challenges, he only likes the feeling after he's passed a challenge with flying colors."

"Triumph, you mean?" she asks.

"Yeah. But he's a pretty okay guy. I mean…" Tenten raised an eyebrow as he trailed off.

"…He likes kids."

"What?!" Tenten snickered. "He likes _kids_?"

"Shocking, but true." Yoshiaki turned back to look at Wu Xing and Nagahide. "You'll notice that Nagahide is never mean to Xing-chan." He paused. "By the way, how old are you, Tenten?"

"17. My birthday is March 9th."

Yoshiaki nodded with a gentle smile. "Mm! I'll remember that."

"Who's the oldest, Yoshiaki?"

"Me." he smirked. "Then it's Nagahide and Wu Xing. I became a jounin five months before Nagahide did. But I'm only four months older. Xing-chan is one year younger then both of us."

"I see." she smiled at the thought of Wu Xing. "Xing-chan has a very big heart, it seems."

"Very big. Trust me."

Tenten smiled at this.

"So, Tenten-san. Do you have a boyfriend?"

'/ / / /'

* * *

"Hey."

They had all stopped when they found the enemy resting under a tree after an hour of tracking them.

"What is it, Nagahide?" Tenten really couldn't bring herself to be mean to someone who liked kids.

Nagahide raised an eyebrow at her climatic tone, but brushed it off. "What's your plan?"

"Hey!" Wu Xing whispered excitedly. "We should go over the mission first!"

"Yeah, good for a refresh." Yoshiaki agreed. "If I may have the pleasure of doing so…"

"Our client is a well known merchant who sells products on the outskirts of one of the major tourist villages in Fire country. Normally, he has bodyguards protecting his expensive products, such as his jade statues and crystal ornaments. But, he is a very virtuous man, and let his bodyguards off for two days to see their friends and family, as they always travel around with him and are never able to return home. On the second day, however, he was, as expected, mugged of his most prized product, a four foot jade statue, along with a sack of money and some other precious goods. Today was the second day, and as you know, we were sent to retrieve his goods."

"The thieves themselves are super weak, but…" Wu Xing trailed off.

"But, what makes this a C rank mission is the right hand man of the thief Ishida Jinsuke. He is known for his cunning throughout the land, and is one of the top wanted criminals in almost all the major villages. He is known to be a mercenary, demanding a percentage of the gain from each catch. He has the military knowledge of a high ranking strategist, and has a fighting style that is clever and tricky to beat." Yoshiaki's gaze settled on Wu Xing. "Xing-chan would know. This is the second time she's encountered with him, as Tsunade-sama purposely set her on the team due to her past knowledge."

Wu Xing's face fell immediately and sighed, disappointed in herself. "Yeah…I didn't get him the first time, and almost put my team in danger…"

"Then this is the chance for you to redeem whatever grudge you hold against yourself, Wu Xing."

Wu Xing whipped her head around at Nagahide. "Eh?" Nagahide avoided eye contact with Wu Xing. "Because your teams has already forgiven you for any mistakes you've done."

Tenten watched as Wu Xing's eyes welled up in tears and embraced Nagahide with a generous hug. Nagahide was startled at first but, he gently wrapped his arms around Wu Xing with a tiny smile.

"Aw…look at them. Let's hug too, Tenten-san!" Before Tenten could react, Yoshiaki squeezed Tenten in his embrace. Tenten suppressed a cough and giggled before hugging Yoshiaki.

Tenten decided she could really learn to like this group of people.

* * *

"How many people, can you see?" Tenten squinted, trying to count how many people where sitting and lying around. She kept on losing count, so she eventually gave up and asked Yoshiaki.

"Fourteen, it looks like." He grinned at Tenten. "I'll take out three, you take out three, Xing-chan take out one and Nagahide-kun takes out seven."

"Your humor is not appreciated." Nagahide glared at Yoshiaki. "But, if you mean that you stop denying the fact that I have the ability to take out more then you, that's fine."

"No need to get competitive here, Nagahide." Yoshiaki rolled his eyes. He then turned to watch Tenten who looked deep in thought as she stared at the group who sat within range of her gaze, but far enough that they wouldn't be spotted. He watched as her eyebrows twitched into a more creased frown. Her fist that was formerly covering small lips had been set down to rest at her side, but the pondering frown that had been on her face had evolved into a scowl.

'Hm…' he thought. 'Something must've happened.'

"So, Tenten! Do you have a plan now? Do you? I'm ready to pound that stupid Jinsuke in the face for how he made fun of me last time!" Tenten watched with interest as Wu Xing stood in a competitive and determined stance, punching the air above her.

"Hm…Are you confident in yourself, Xing-chan?" she asked. Perhaps…

"I'll _always_ be confident with Nagahide-kun and Yoshiaki-kun at my side!" she set her hands on her hips with a determined smile. "And now with Tenten-san at my side, I will always be SUPER CONFIDENT in myself!" She pointed at a man with jet black hair who stood out from the rest of the crowd. "I'm not afraid of him!" she exclaimed. "Every taunt and tease that he threw at me from last time is another cup of confidence for me!" she finished, pointing at herself with her thumb.

"Sheesh, Nagahide. Are you hugs drugged or something? Because she sure got a confidence boost afterwards." he paused. "Ah, why don't you give me a hug for a confidence boost too!" He began to approach Nagahide with his arms wide open.

"Sure." Nagahide swatted Yoshiaki's arm away. "Don't touch me."

Yoshiaki sighed and then turned his attention back to Tenten. "So, you got a plan?"

"Yeah. Though after seeing what's gone on, I've revised. But yeah, I got a plan." she coughed. "One question though, Yoshiaki-kun, you don't mind the risk of taking out less people, right?"

Yoshiaki stared at Tenten confused. Tenten pouted and made an effort to do the most pleading face she could manage.

"…Right?"

"Of course not! There's plenty to go around later, after all." Yoshiaki shrugged cheerfully. He didn't care, really, he was just confused that she'd ask. But then again, he thought, they had just met. Though, he could use this to his advantage.

"Great! Now…"

Yoshiaki held up his hand to halt. "Only on _two _conditions though." he smirked as Tenten's eyes widened, nervous at what would be coming at her. "…ah…what?"

"You shall now become my little sister." he pat Tenten on her head, who could only stare at him, awed. "And I will be your big brother now. Okay?"

"I never knew you enjoyed such childish games, Yoshiaki." Nagahide commented with an amused smirk.

"Oh you'd be surprised, Nagahide. Now…" Yoshiaki turned his head to one side and pointed at his cheek. "A little kiss, shall we?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "You're single, right?"

He winked. "Crushing, but single."

Tenten grabbed his face and kissed him smack on his lips.

"As long as my boyfriend was my first, everything else doesn't matter." she smiled triumphantly.

"Ne…! Tenten I want one too!" Wu Xing tugged on her sleeve. Tenten only giggled in response.

So, Tenten ended up giving kisses to Yoshiaki, Wu Xing, and Nagahide. She made sure to stay extra long on Nagahide, just to tease him.

"Hey! Mine was so short compared to his!" Yoshiaki whined jokingly. Tenten smiled at him. "Then next time I won't be the one giving kisses, Yoshiaki." Yoshiaki only smiled.

"Now, who knows how to make about six Kage Bunshins?"

**Ohohen****: I wouldn't blame you if you said this chapter was really boring, because I don't really expect people to like OCs.**

**I mean, **_**I**_** don't.**

**I hate OCs.**

**Well, I don't hate them, but most of the time they're pretty cliché in character and personality, and it's probably not that different here, from your point of view.**

**At least I know one thing is for sure…This is **_**not**_** going to be a threeshot.**

**Oh, and in case you were worried, this is a NEJITEN story. And ONLY NejiTen. Nothing else, trust me.**

**But, I'm not saying that it's going to have 3859738920145728492364 chapters. Not even twenty. More like…five. Or four. Probably five. So, about that Beta Reader thing. Anyone into it? No, I'm not looking for one. I really hate being told that I'm wrong or how I can improve, and might become a bit harsh when I am, so I don't think I'll be wanting a Beta Reader anytime soon. All this new stuff added to is pretty surprising. I kind of miss the old …**

…**the old let you put brackets in your summary. -Frustrated-**

**By the way, Dattebayo said they were going to drop Naruto Shippuden? ORLY?! Now that's interesting. Don't blame them though. Those uploaders at YouTube might have to find something else to upload now. xD**

**Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter, even a little bit. I think I totally screwed up the beginning and got carried away near the end but…**


	3. Didn't Think

_**Thank you **__**Judo Creature, Tsukiko Yuki,**_** and **_**Merciless Ruby. **_**You guys is the bomb, bruh.**

**DISCLAIMER****: ****Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**So, another update. I'm guessing this will be the third of the five chapters, heh…**

**Hidden**

Chapter Three: Didn't Think

"Matsudaira-san. Something isn't right."

A man in his mid 30s with neatly combed hair turned with a questioning face. "What is it?" Matsudaira felt a tinge of panic in his heart. He wasn't much of a fighter, and if whatever Jinsuke was feeling involved physical conflict…he shook his head as he imagined the results.

"I have yet to know." Jinsuke watched Matsudaira's reaction.

"Hmpf. Not to worry, Matsudaira-san. Your group of witty thieves as well as myself will keep you safe." Ishida Jinsuke assured Matsudaira with a pat on the back. "Besides, I have yet to determine if something is really wrong."

"Jinsuke-sama…" Matsudaira stared at Jinsuke longingly. "It is such a pity that you were ratted out during your coup d'état. You were the true leader…"

"Of _course_, Matsudaira-san, I was obviously the better leader. That half-wit of a daimyo was so much of a pansy that he made flowers look like spiked clubs! If it weren't for that stupid--"

A brown haired man ran over to the couple, face smeared in panic. "Matsudaira-sama! Ishida Jinsuke-sama! The treasures, they're moving away from us!"

Jinsuke and Matsudaira stood up frantically. "What? What do you mean they're moving away from us?" Jinsuke began to run over to where the treasures had formerly been sitting.

"What do you think this means, Jinsuke-sama?"

"Don't expect me to know everything." Jinsuke scowled as he ran. They stopped in the center as they watched the goods disappear into the bush around them. He turned to Matsudaira expectantly. "Your wisdom has even my respect," He said. "Well," Jinsuke's eyebrows creased into a frown. "what do you plan on doing in this situation, Matsudaira-san?

Matsudaira stepped forward. "Split into three groups equally and retrieve the goods! Your meal for the next three months depend on it!" he ordered grouchily. Immediately the band of thieves split into groups of four, out to retrieve the statues and other goods.

Somewhere, Tenten smirked.

* * *

"What? It's a kid!" Outraged, one of the bandits raised an frowned, scowling at the child that sat stood before him, holding onto the jade statue.

The child staggered forward anxiously. "I-I'm not just a kid! I'm here to take back Mister's goods that you evil people stole from him!"

"Heh…brat. You don't know what you're running into!" Almost all at the same time, the four bandits pulled out their variety of swords, chains, and claws. "Care to reiterate?"

The child sprout tears from his eyes, heart immediately overflowing with regret as the polished death that gleamed from the blades and various sharp objects caught his eye. He began to back away, before hastily running in the opposite direction, arms flailing.

"Pfft. Well, I guess that takes care of that." One of the thieves with a red bandana around his head stepped forward and began to hold onto the jade statue. "Come on, let's get this back to Jinsuke-sama. You know how he is…"

"Get your hands off my ass, will you?"

The thieves shrieked and dropped the statue, that soon became shrouded in smoke. The bandits watched in awe as the smoke cleared, eyes wide. The smoke cleared to reveal Yoshiaki sitting on the floor, rubbing his behind.

"You know, you could have set me down gently. I mean, it really hurts. You might have even dislocated my spine or something." he winced in pain, standing up, looking around him and at his surroundings.

Yoshiaki coughed at the awkward silence as he watched all the wide eyes and gapes that were all directed at him.

"Um…aren't we supposed to fight now?" He paused to wait for their reactions. "I mean, I'm here to take you all out, and I don't mean to dinner."

When he got no reaction, he sighed and pointed to some random person, pulling out his straight edged sword, kunai in his other hand.

"Okay, you're first."

* * *

Tenten's plan to divide and conquer was a success. The group had been split and drawn out into the bush far enough so that Jinsuke and Matsudaira couldn't detect the conflict that took place. Tenten had originally planned to take out Jinsuke, but after hearing Wu Xing's confident outburst, she decided to give Wu Xing a chance to beat Jinsuke, after confirming that Matsudaira was not a vicious fighter to worry about.

Besides. She was feeling extremely lazy that day.

Wu Xing ambushed Jinsuke and Matsudaira with her Kage Bunshins, easily eliminating Matsudaira soon after her ambush with his confusion, and was now setting sights on Jinsuke.

"Very impressive ambush, Xing-chan." Jinsuke regained his posture and stood up straight, facing Wu Xing with a untrustworthy smile. Wu Xing scowled and pointed an accusing finger at Jinsuke, blade in hand.

"Don't talk like you know me!" she retorted fiercely. Seeing him and being given the chance to fight him and defeat him gave Wu Xing an excited boost, the making her eager to pounce.

Jinsuke laughed, as if hearing the answer to a hysterical joke. His face bore a smug expression. "Ha! I know enough to defeat you, silly girl."

"Oh yeah?" Wu Xing set her hands on her hips, glowering. "Well guess what? I've gotten better! I'm not a genin, I'm a chuunin, and I'm definitely _more_ then enough to defeat you!" she claimed, confident in herself. She gestured to herself with the hilt of her blade with a confident expression.

Jinsuke smirked, face smug. "We'll see just how much more you have."

* * *

Tenten met up with Nagahide and Yoshiaki, finding them, walking and cleaning their blades of blood as they appeared out of the bush.

"Hey! You guys look great!" she smiled. She was happy that her plan had worked out well so far. She was beginning to think that it wasn't necessary at all, as the bandits and henchman weren't much of a challenge at all. The four of them probably could have been able to defeat them all simply by attacking from the front. But, she decided at times like these it'd be good to exercise her strategic mind and thought.

Yoshiaki lifted his head to look at Tenten. "Thanks." He flicked his hair back, as if posing for the a photo shoot. "I've always been complimented for my good looks. But…" he sighed, and gestured with his thumb towards Nagahide. Nagahide's eyes narrowed, raising an eyebrow. "He's always had his way with the girls with _his_ looks. Always!" Yoshiaki desisted cleaning his blade, setting it away. He set his hands on his hips, mock upset. "He is my rival in love."

"You're ridiculous, Yoshiaki." Nagahide interrupted still holding onto his katana. "Unlike yourself, I'm not trying to court Nao-san." Yoshiaki only smiled sheepishly in response.

This conversation sparked Tenten's interest, as she watched the two shinobi speak with a suspicious gleam in her eye, smiling. "I was about to say that that's not what I meant…but…"

Yoshiaki felt beads of sweat forming on the side of his face as he stared at Tenten, fearful of what she was trying to say. "…Eh…what?"

Tenten appeared beside Yoshiaki. "Who's this 'Nao-san', ehhh…?" She elbowed him, nudging him and urging him to elaborate about 'Nao-san'. "Is she cute?" she winked, inching towards his face.

Yoshiaki only laughed nervously as Nagahide chuckled. Yoshiaki glared at Nagahide, hearing his laugh. "Nagahide, you're not helping! This is not for your amusement."

"Well, if this helps, I'm really beginning to like our charming and witty leader." Nagahide smirked, setting his hand on his hips as he turned his attention to Tenten.

"Aww…you really mean it?" Tenten's eyes widened happily, hearing the compliment. "I must say, Nagahide. You're a lot more friendly and open after some time and patience has been spent on you."

Yoshiaki laughed. "Time and patience…Lot's of it." Nagahide glared at him and Tenten for the comment, but he sighed.

"Well, I must say…that plan of yours…"

"Was a brilliant, but unnecessary. Total waste of our time."

"Yeah, I know. But, it was a good mental exercise." She smiled at them. Nagahide nodded. "Good point." Nagahide then stared at Tenten for a moment, before smiling, amused.

She then became flustered, knowing that she was caught gazing at Nagahide's gleaming katana, her weak frown visible on her face.

Yoshiaki smirked, then turned to Nagahide. "Nagahide, maybe you should let Tenten play with your katana when we get back." He looked at Tenten knowingly, who could only look away, embarrassed. "She really seems to like it." he said, laughing. "What? Too shiny for you?"

Tenten glared at the couple, and ignored the latter. "L-Let's go see how Xing-chan is doing."

* * *

The three shinobi found Wu Xing holding a her blade to Jinsuke's neck, and another at his waist against a tree. Tenten frowned, concerned at the cuts that formed around her body.

"Xing-chan!" Tenten ran up to her. "Are you okay?"

Wu Xing's former vicious scowl disappeared as she turned to look at Tenten with a reassuring, bright smile. "Never been better!" She turned back to Jinsuke. "I finally got you, you dimwit!"

Jinsuke began to struggle, after being charged by the insult. "Dare call me that again you ignorant little girl--" He stopped when Wu Xing's blade scraped his neck from the struggling and movement, blood flowing out of the slit against from his neck.

Wu Xing leaned her face into his, before letting out a loud, "DIMWIT!" Jinsuke winced at the loud yell, before glowering lowly and threateningly at Wu Xing, the anger and ferocity clearly flaring in his eyes.

Yoshiaki smirked. "Well, let's get these two back to Konoha, and let the _janitor_ troops come and clean the rest of them up, shall we?"

Tenten gaped, her eyes increasing in size. "You tied them up?!" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah. Didn't you want us to?" Nagahide asked in response.

"Uh…no, no! That's not what I mean…I mean…" she stammered panicking as she raised her small fist in confusion..

Yoshiaki smiled uncertainly at Tenten. "Don't tell me you didn't tie them up." Tenten only laughed nervously in response.

"Did you really think the four of us could care _fourteen _grown men _**all**_the way back to Konoha, did you?" Nagahide crossed his arms, staring at Tenten with a smug expression plastered on his face. Slightly disappointing, but amusing all the same.

"Okay!" Tenten threw her arms up in the air, frustrated and humiliated. "I'll go tie them up!" She began her way back to where she had previously left her victims. "It's not like they can move anyway, so I don't know what you guys are blabbering so much about."

Wu Xing knocked out Jinsuke, hitting him across his temple with her fist. She stretched as he fell to the forest floor.

"When I get back home, I'm going to go take a swim!" she proclaimed.

Nagahide stepped forward and held her arms, examining them. "How'd you get these marks, Xing-chan?"

"Hmpf!" Wu Xing made a face. "Well, that stupid Matsudaira can't fight, that's for sure. But he managed to resist by tying me up with these super hot and tight wires! Then he and Jinsuke wanted to slice me into a fillet by pulling on both ends of the wire!" She rubbed her arms, wincing in pain as she ran her arms up and down the variation of intersecting cuts down her arm. "It really hurt…" she then smiled triumphantly. "But I took him out. That was the only time they got to me, anyway. Hmpf!"

Yoshiaki pointed out her bleeding leg that had stained her clothing and was flowing down her leg. "What about that, Xing-chan? Your leg is bleeding and shaking."

Wu Xing smiled nervously. "Yeah…that stupid Jinsuke managed to land a blow to me, but it wasn't enough to knock me down!" she said, smiling proudly as she pointed at Jinsuke, who laid knocked out and unconscious against a tree.

Unexpectedly, (To Wu Xing, of course. Nagahide and Yoshiaki saw it coming with _that _deep of a wound.) Wu Xing then began to whimper and grimace as she fell, Nagahide catching her before she fell to the dirt covered ground. Nagahide stared nervously at Wu Xing. "I think you should let us carry you, Xing-chan. You can't get back by yourself like this."

Wu Xing smiled, embarrassed. "Okay, but I want Tenten to carry me!" Yoshiaki smiled as he began to examine Wu Xing's wounded leg, as well as checking for other injuries that may have been inflicted but not noticed.

Through all of this, they all didn't realize that Tenten was becoming isolated deep in the forest bush.

* * *

"Augh…Dried blood!" Tenten lifted one of the men's arms by their sleeve weakly. She had forgotten how quickly blood dried. It was then she decided that when she got home, she was going to take a long nap. A _long _one. After a nice, long, warm bath. A _long _one.

She reached for some rope she had brought but stopped when she heard nearby rustling, a short distance away from her. Her eyes narrowed as her hands landed on a kunai beside the rope. She scanned her surroundings cautiously. Someone was there…

"Jump!"

She looked up to the direction of the voices, but that was a mistake, as the sun blinded her, and all she could see was a silhouette of her attacker in the sun as she covered her eyes. Without thinking, she summoned her pointed spear, and held it in front of her blindly, trying hard to locate her attackers.

She'd have to go on the defense first, she decided as she readjusted her hold on her spear.

She didn't have a choice.

* * *

"Something's not right." Nagahide looked in the direction that he had last seen Tenten disappear into.

"Well, besides the fact that Tenten isn't back yet after such an oddly long period of time, I think everything is just dandy." Yoshiaki expressed his sarcasm with a little jump and wave of his hands.

"Hey!" Wu Xing tugged on Nagahide's sleeve. She was still being carried by Nagahide. "Go see what's going on! Tenten might be in trouble." Nagahide nodded.

"Okay, let us hurry. I really want to go home."

* * *

When Nagahide, Wu Xing, and Yoshiaki arrived, it seemed as if the world had crashed all on one point.

"Tenten!"

That point being where Tenten was tied to a tree in a misrepresented way. Her head was bleeding down her face. How the rope purposely was tight around her chest, it disgusted the three of them, as they felt their fists clench and their faces flare with anger and fury…

"Oh, they've arrived." A man with white hair tied up in a high pony tail with a piece of golden string turned to face them with a smug grin.

"H-He…" Wu Xing quivered as she struggled to remember exactly where she's seen the long face with the square jaw before in the past…

"…Dodomeki…san…"

"Ehh…?!" The man bent over, squinted his eyes slightly and shielded his eyes from what sun was able to shine through the high tree tops. "Ahh…Is that you? Cute little Xing-Chan?" He grinned, satisfyingly as he stood straight again, his arms crossed, the smug smile on his face more intense then before.

Nagahide turned towards Wu Xing, questioning. "Dodomeki?"

"What of him, Xing-chan?" Yoshiaki asked her, his head never moving from gazing at Tenten and Dodomeki.

Wu Xing nodded as she hid her face in the crook Nagahide's neck. "Mm…he is known only by Dodomeki…no one really knows his real name…or whether that is his real name or not…"

Dodomeki laughed. It'd sound almost jolly if it weren't for who he was and his reason for laughing.

"So! I see you still remember me, Xing-chan!"

Yoshiaki started to think that Dodomeki had done something unforgivable to Wu Xing, as he started to clench his fists and step forward, but Dodomeki raised his hand to halt him.

"Before you go jumping to conclusions, I actually spared Xing-chan's life." He set his hands on his hips. "Jinsuke-san was about to end her life, if it had not been for me. After all, it was I who recommended to him to spare your life."

He examined his nails, as if he was bored. "Though…I don't think that's going to happen today." he said exasperatedly, as if he was tired of wasting time speaking.

"So, are you going to fight, or are you going to kindly hand over the treasure, and you may have your precious…team leader, back?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed expectantly.

They scowled at Dodomeki, unsure of what to do.

Then, Wu Xing gasped.

Tenten's eyes slowly fluttered open as she lifted and turned her head slightly to scan and examine what was going around her. It didn't take long before she understood…

"Don't fight them!" she exclaimed out to her team. "Just report back to the village, immediately! Do you understand me--"

Dodomeki quickly knocked her out again, causing even more blood to drip down the side of her forehead. He laughed. "I wonder if she'll wake up retarded from being hit in the head so much!" He wiped his hand on his robes. "Augh, so much blood. Better wash when I get home…"

"You!" Yoshiaki and Nagahide began to draw their weapons, before Wu Xing stopped them.

Nagahide and Yoshiaki stepped forward. "You're despicable!"

"Wait! Tenten said not to fight!" she called out desperately as she tugged on Nagahide's shoulder.

"That's stupid!" Yoshiaki snapped back.

"Think, you idiots! If you fight, it doesn't matter if you beat them or not. They have both Tenten and me as a hostage! I'm injured, so if they get a hold of me, that'll hold you back." She looked sorry as she spoke, her voice softening as she continued. "I'm sorry, but I know I'll hold you back, but the best thing now is to report back to the village as a successful mission, then have Tsunade-sama send a rescue team back for Tenten…" by this time, her voice was barely above a whisper.

Nagahide and Yoshiaki exchanged anxious, concerned looks and nodded, before glaring at the floor.

They then disappeared into the trees.

"Dodomeki-sama!"

"Ah!"

"AFTER THEM!"

* * *

Nagahide could feel the wetness of Wu Xing's tears and sweat on his skin through his clothes as they leapt from tree to tree back to the village. He glanced down at her.

"Nagahide-" she quivered.

"…Hurry! Hurry back to Konoha!" she sobbed.

"We have to save Tenten, quickly!"

**Ohohen****: Third of four chapters, actually. It's so stupid how I had basically finished this chapter but I had stopped. It was only missing like, two lines. D: Damn it. Ah well. So what've you peeps been up to? Been doing good? I started my second semester. I hate it. D; I hope I'll be able to drive to school next year. I don't want to ride the bus anymore. Dx**

**So been watching any anime or reading any awesome manga lately? 8D I've been reading Love Attack. Fucking hilarious. XD Yeah, I like reading stuff like…like **_**Backstage Prince**_**, **_**Good Morning Call, Otokomae Beads Club, Beast Master, **_**and **_**Love Strip**_**. Even though Love Strip is kinda…ridiculous. Oo;; **

**I watched **_**Ouran High School Host Club! **_**That's a pretty awesome little series. I like Haruhi x Ouran Host Club. XD Haruhi x Tamaki a bit more then the others, though. xP Ima start reading the manga soon. Need to watch **_**Zero no Tsukaima**_** and maybe get up to date with **_**Vampire Knight, **_**even though I'm not that interested.**

**You guys should go watch Smiling Pasta on YouTube. ;D It's like a cliché anime but it's not an anime. xD**

**Yeah, I should stop rambling. But yeah, I'd love to talk to you about anime and manga and stuff. 8D I'm kinda in a really friendly and open mood right now. XD **

**By the way, sorry about this really, really boring chapter. Next chapter should be the last, and it got some Neji action in it. =0 So be expecting!**

**Got some SasuTen on the way, too. XD But who knows when that's coming out. xD It'll be after I finish this one, though. :D **

**Oh, and HAPPY LATE CHINESE NEW YEAR! WISH YOU A LONG, FORTUNATE, HAPPY LIFE! I got $450 total! Never had that much before! Three 100 bills and three 50s! MUAH, MUAH! x3**

**Damn. Long author's note. Sorry. Got carried away…-sigh-…again.**


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